Special Moments In Time
by Jwelstone
Summary: They say love is friendship on fire. A series of Inuyasha and Kagome oneshots.
1. Belonging

**Special Moments in Time**

**Belonging**

"Where is that bitch!" A very pissed off hanyou screamed at the seemingly innocent looking well in frustration. Not that he was expecting it to answer, though if it did he would seriously have to question his sanity.

He stalked over to it, kicking one of its wooded walls as if commanding it to produce the miko from the future. After a few seconds of silence, Inuyasha huffed and jumped inside the bone eaters well that connected his world, that of Feudal Japan to her world that was five hundred years in the future, in one graceful fluid motion as the ethereal blue light engulfed him, coagulating time so that he could pass centuries into the future with ease.

"He's so obvious" A voice stated, it was coming from behind one of the blueberry bushes.

"I know, but we shouldn't be spying on him like this every time" Another voice, this time female, rang out through the empty clearing, now devoid of grumpy hanyous.

"But you have to admit, its fun to spy on him" the male voice replied chuckling at the mere thought.

"It wouldn't be so much fun if he caught us" the female voice stated dryly before a resounding slap echoed throughout the forest surrounding the celestial well, "Stupid hentai monk!" the demon slayer cried as she stepped out of the bushes and stalked towards the village.

"Sango, please don't get mad, there was some dirt on your Kimono, I was simply dusting it off" Miroku ran after the fuming woman trying to appease her anger.

* * *

Inuyasha landed with a soft thud at the bottom of the well inside the well house five hundred years in the future. He glanced up at the roof of the building before stealthily jumping up and out of the well. He creaked open the well house door and his keen eyes made out the shrine grounds bathed in semi darkness, the only light coming from the moon hanging above and the lights that illuminated the Higurashi residence.

He crossed the shrine grounds in fast, silent strides before reaching the tree growing near the two storey house. It's branches reached near one of the windows, the window belonging to Kagome's quaint room, a soft light was spewing out, surrounding the nearby branches with an earthy glow.

He jumped up and landed on the branch nearest to her window before pouncing into her room with a speed only a half dog demon could muster.

"What the hell?!" he cursed loudly to himself on finding that the room was empty. He looked around the room, inhaling the addicting scent of the miko. He noticed a pile of books on her table with weird designs on it; Kagome told him they were letters of the English alphabet, though he couldn't care less. They were all closed, indicating that the girl had finished her studies, _'Then where the hell is she?'_ he mused silently.

Suddenly he heard a noise from downstairs, which sounded vaguely like laughter. Being of a suspicious nature, he placed one hand on his faithful sword, Tetsusaiga, and made his way out of the room and peered down the stairs into the room that Kagome called the family room.

A light growl bubbled up his throat and escaped through his lips that were slightly drawn back to reveal his fangs.

"What the fuck does that girl think she's doing?" he muttered, for there was Kagome, with her mother, grandfather and little brother. They were all sitting around a small table, a board of some sort spread out in front of them. There were some colorful objects on the board, and having been blessed with amazing vision, Inuyasha could make out that the board itself had lines all over it except in the middle where something was written, again in English alphabets.

"It's my turn" he heard Kagome's grandfather say, in his raspy voice, as he grabbed something with his wrinkled old hand, shook it near his ear and threw it back on the board. Inuyasha could see two small white cubes with black dots all over it. Then her grandfather picked up one of the colorful objects and moved it to another square.

"Eh?" Inuyasha was now utterly confused, were they performing some sort of spell. Knowing her grandfather, that was probably it, but how did he get the rest of Kagome's family to help him with it.

"Me next" the youngest Higurashi piped up as he too repeated the same procedure that his grandfather had done except he moved an object with another color to a different square.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha asked, not being able to take the curiosity anymore, he barged down the stairs and stood in front of them with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Aah Inuyasha, so nice to see you again" Kagome's mother greeted him warmly, just like she always does.

"What are you doing?" he asked again walking closer to the board and looking at it suspiciously.

"We're playing Monopoly Inuyasha" Kagome stated smiling at the hanyou.

"Mo-no-po-lee?" Inuyasha sounded out the words, "What's that?"

"It's a kind of game, that you play with your family or friends" She answered patting the place next to her, signaling that he should sit there.

Inuyasha's annoyance was mounting, he sat down next to her in a huff, "You mean you didn't come back because you were playing this stupid game?"

"It's not stupid Inuyasha, it's a lot of fun" Kagome said looking down at her hands, "And besides, I haven't done anything together with my family in a long time"

Inuyasha glanced at her, the scent of her sadness hit his nose and he cringed slightly, he hated it when she was sad, "Ok, fine, we'll leave after you finish this game"

Her head snapped up and she gave him a brilliant smile that made him blush bright pink, "Thank you Inuyasha, hey why don't you join us"

"What?" he asked looking at her eager face, "But I thought this was supposed be quality time with your family."

"Don't be silly" her mother cut in, "You're a part of our family too"

"That's right" Souta said, giving his hero a silly grin.

"See, Inuyasha, now come on, you can play on my side" Kagome said placing her hand on his, urging him to accept their invitation.

"But I don't know how to play" he said, though it didn't sound too much like a protest.

"It's easy" Kagome said taking her hand off of his, much to his chagrin, "All you have to do is role these dice" she explained pointing at the white cubes he saw earlier, "You have to add the dots on the sides that are facing up and then move your marker, ours is the ship" she showed him the purple ship, "to the correct square" she finished.

"It's my turn now" Mrs. Higurashi said taking the dice, "You can see how it's done". She shook the dice before throwing it on the board, everyone waited till they rolled to a complete stop. Inuyasha saw that the two sides pointing up had two and three black dots respectively. "That means I have to move five squares" Kagome's mother said as she took her yellow horse marker and counted five squares from the square that it was previously on and placed it on the fifth square.

It's 'North Carolina avenue' that's mine mom, you have to give me rent" Souta said excitedly as he held out his hand for his mother to give him the money.

"What's that for?" Inuyasha asked as Mrs. Higurashi handed Souta some colorful paper.

"That's play money Inuyasha" Kagome said pointing at their own stack of the colorful paper, "It's what we use to play the game, you have to pay other people with it, you'll understand as we go along"

"Now it's you turn Inuyasha" Kagome's mother said as she handed the hanyou the dice. He took it and stared at the small cubes, and then he looked up at the other people in the room who were looking at him expectantly. His hand closed around the cubes, as he too shook them.

For once, he let a feeling of contentment wash over him from his toes to the very tips of his fuzzy silver ears.

For once he let himself relax and feel warm in the company of people he knew would never judge him on the basis of his blood or birth.

He threw the dice, and waited for them to role to a stop.

For once, he let himself belong…

* * *

AN: - So what do you think, good, bad, stupid? This idea attacked me late last night and I just had to put it on paper, when I was finished, i got this. I think it turned out pretty good. Anyway, constructive critisism is always welcome. So please read and review.

Till next time...


	2. Irreplaceable

**Special Moments in Time**

**Irreplaceable**

"I hate trigonometry!" Kagome cried in exasperation as she stared at all the numbers and identities. She had come back to the present for a few days to catch up with her school work, only to find out that she was so far behind, she might have to repeat the grade, and that was a thought that didn't sit well with her.

"Come on Kagome, you have to do this, you have a responsibility here too" she pep talked herself into attempting to solve another problem. Once she figured out she was lagging behind all of her classmates, she had asked Hojo to help her out, and though he had explained the theory behind the problems, he asked her to solve them herself, '_Typical Hojo'_ she thought.

That was when she heard her window slide open, a mild wind swept in and played with her ebony locks. A small tick had formed in her right eyebrow. She set her pen down and whirled her chair around to come face to face with none other than her overprotective, over possessive, over annoying hanyou friend.

"No!" she snapped before he could open his mouth.

"No what?' he asked her, crossing his arms over his chest in his trademark pose.

"I'm not coming back with you now, I have homework" she said, spinning her chair back around to face her desk.

"But it's been three days!" he said glaring at the back of her head.

"So?" she asked, picking up her pen once again, "two more won't kill anyone"

"If you've forgotten Kagome, two days are probably enough for Naraku to find the remaining shards, kill everyone and take over the world!"

"I have not forgotten Inuyasha, but being your shard detector is not my only responsibility, I have to study, I want to graduate with the rest of my class, and I want to get a job and settle down in life" she explained as she scored something off in her notebook sighing.

"Why?" he asked her, settling down on her pink sheeted bed sensing that this could take a while, '_Why does she have to be so darn stubborn?'_

"Why do I have to do all those things?" she asked verifying his question before answering, "Because that is what is expected of me, that is what is expected of everyone in this world"

"Well, you need to help us find the shards, that is what is expected of you back home" he reasoned.

Kagome smiled slightly at Inuyasha calling feudal Japan her home, well in a way she guessed it was, "I know that Inuyasha, just give me two days ok?"

"Fine!" he snapped, knowing that there was nothing more he could do to change her mind, and also if he pursued the matter he just might get sat, and he didn't feel like kissing the floor right then.

Both of them were silent, Kagome chewed on the back of her pen, while Inuyasha glared at her back, "You know, just because you glare at me doesn't mean I'll come back with you" she said casually.

"Keh!" he said before turning to look out her bedroom window, he saw that it wasn't long before nightfall.

Soon, a comfortable silence surrounded them as Inuyasha leaned back against the wall of her room that the bed was pushed up against. Being enveloped by Kagome's sweet calming scent that filled every corner of her room was soothing his senses. Her scent was one of the very few things that could affect him like this.

He started thinking of how it would be like if her scent suddenly vanished, if he couldn't smell her anymore. He immediately shook his head at those unpleasant thoughts. He knew there was nothing else on this whole world that could smell even half as good, her scent was unique, one of a kind. To put it simply it was irreplaceable.

Then he looked down at the sleeves of his fire rat robes, the robes that his father had given his mother before he died, and which she had passed on to him before she too left this world. It was the only thing he could call his own, apart from his sword, Tetsusaiga, the great sword that could kill a hundred demons in one stroke. The sword forged from his father's fang. Yes, both of those things were gifts from his parents, both of them were irreplaceable.

His ears perked up at the slight squeaking noise Kagome's revolving chair made as she turned around, "Inuyasha, why don't you go down and play with Souta or something, you must be bored just sitting here and watching me study"

"I'm fine, you get back to your homework, the faster you finish, the faster we can go back" he stated in a gruff voice.

"Ok, if you're sure" she said doubtfully, she gave him a smile before turning back around. His ears twitched back and forth as he heard her pen make scratching noises as she wrote on the paper.

He loved it when she smiled, especially when she smiled at him, it meant that he did something right. It meant that she was happy, and that made him happy, though he would never admit that. It was amazing how her smiles had the power of brightening up his day, they chased away his anger, and they made him want to smile as well. It was a weird feeling, but it was nice too. Her smiles were bright and radiant, they were irreplaceable.

When she smiled, her eyes looked like they were smiling as well. Those honey brown pools showed the world just what she was feeling; they were like the windows to her heart. He hated it when they misted over with tears, whenever he saw her cry, he wanted to make them go away, wanted to make sure she never had a reason to cry ever again in her life. But more often than not, those tears were shed for him or because of him. That made him feel helpless, like the lowest scum on the face of this planet. To him, her eyes were more beautiful then the most precious jewel in existence, to him, they were irreplaceable.

Whenever people asked him what Kagome meant to him, he couldn't answer, even when he knew what to say, since he's asked himself that same question many times. She was his greatest weakness, when she's in danger, he can't think straight, so he can't fight properly and he'll end up getting hurt or letting her get hurt. Then why does he let her stay with him. Because she is also his greatest strength, with her nearby, he grows stronger. The will to protect her makes him more powerful. She's someone who is very important to him, probably the most important person in his life. He can't imagine his life without her, that is why he doesn't let anyone take her away from him. He hates anyone who tries to come between them. People like that wimpy wolf and that spineless human who keep trying to court her.

Many people have told him that a half demon and a human can never be together, heck even Kikyo believed it, that is why she wanted him to turn human. But Kagome has proven to him on countless occasions, that she likes him the way he is, that she doesn't want him to change.

"_I like you as a half demon Inuyasha"_ she said. So he promised that he would stay a half demon for a while longer just for her.

That is what makes her different, that is what makes her beautiful to him.

That is what makes her irreplaceable, in his mind, in his soul and in the very centre of his heart…

"Ok" she said as she stretched her arms, ridding them of any cramps that may have formed while sitting in the same position for such a long time, "I'm done for today"

"What do you mean 'for today'?" he asked her coming out of his musings.

"I said, two days didn't I?" she said as she pushed her chair away from her desk and stood up, "I'll come back tomorrow evening"

"Keh" he grunted making Kagome giggle, "What!" he snapped at her.

"Nothing" she said raising her hands in surrender, "Hey how about I go make us some ramen? Dinner won't be for another couple of hours"

His ears perked up at that. He jumped off the bed and dragged her downstairs, "Come on, I'm starving" he stated.

"Ok ok" Kagome said going to the food cupboard and taking out two cups of the instant noodles.

Inuyasha sat down at the table and waited impatiently for his precious ramen urging her to hurry up every few seconds.

This was another reason why she was irreplaceable; she was the only one who could bring him back some ramen.

* * *

AN: - So, here's another one, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I would like to thank the people that reviewed. **Members have been sent private messages. **

Please read and review.

Till next time…


	3. Shooting Star

**Special Moments in Time**

**Shooting Star**

The sound of the fire's crackling flames as they fed hungrily on the wood provided to them had a calming effect on all the occupants of the old hut situated at the entrance of the village bordering 'The forest of Inuyasha'. The odd group consisting of the hanyou, miko, monk, taijiya, kitsune and fire neko youkai had come back to the village, near the bone eaters well, they liked to think of as their home.

Miroku was sitting near the corner, meditating. He was wearing a bright red handprint on his cheek which gave away his previous activities. Sango was a commendable distance away from the lecherous monk. She was polishing her weapon, Hiraikoutsu, glancing wearily at the monk now and then. Shippou was cuddled up in Kagome's lap fast asleep as she absently stroked the demon's hair while leaning back against one of the walls of the hut and staring up at the wooden roof, having nothing better to do. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall near the door. He had his eyes closed but the swiveling appendages atop his head signaled that he was very much awake.

Kagome finally stirred, she gently placed Shippou in her sleeping bag and zipped it up. Once sure that her movements hadn't woken up the young kitsune, she stood up and stretched her legs. Inuyasha peeked one eye open and was keeping track of all her movements.

"Where are you going wench?" he asked her when she started walking towards the door to head outside.

"Just to get some fresh air" she replied, not minding being called 'wench'. After all, that was probably the closest thing to an affectionate nickname she would ever get from him.

"Keh" he snorted, getting up and following her outside. He wasn't going to let her wander aimlessly around at night unprotected. Who knows what kind of scum would be lurking around looking for an innocent victim.

"Wow" she gasped beside him, making his ears focus in her direction, "I still can't get over how beautiful the stars look over here"

Inuyasha said nothing as he continued to walk silently at her side. Suddenly she stopped at a little uplifted mound of grass and sat down, pulling her knees up to her chest and placing her chin on them. Inuyasha also sank down in the grass next to her, folding his legs in his usual Indian style and shoving his hands in opposite sleeves of his fire rat haori.

"You know, we face a lot of problems" Kagome said making Inuyasha glance her way, "We've been in tons of dangerous situations, risking our lives just for some shards of a jewel that probably have more evil in them than good by the time we finally get our hands on them."

Inuyasha turned his gaze to look strait ahead but his ears were still trained on her. "It's nice when we get moments like this in the middle, where our troubles seem translucent and unimportant. It's nice that we can stop worrying for at least a little while."

She let go of her knees and fully lay down on the grass and looked up at the glittering Milky Way above them. Her hair fanned out around her head which was resting on the lush green grass. "It's moments like these that almost make it all worthwhile." she finished.

Her hanyou companion remained silent, enjoying the feeling of reveling in her sweet scent. He could honestly say that at that moment, he was perfectly calm and relaxed. He liked these moments too, because they made her happy and because he got to be alone with her, well at least most of the time.

"Oh look Inuyasha" Kagome chirped, pointing at a shining light blazing it's way across the sky, "A shooting star, quick, make a wish" and with that Kagome closed her eyes and clutched her hands together over her chest and made her wish, '_I wish we get more moments like this to spend together'_

Inuyasha looked at her beautiful face, the soft glow of the moonlight reflecting off her porcelain skin, her eyes shut tight and a small smile on her pink lips. He then turned to look up and closed his eyes, '_I wish Kagome will always have a reason to smile…' _he wished sincerely just as the star disappeared into the horizon.

* * *

AN: - Well inspiratin to write this struck me while I was watching Kyo Kara Maoh (God(?) Save Our King). I hope it turned out alright. anyway, here's thanking everyone who has reviewed so far. **Members have been sent private messages.**

Please read and review

Till next time...


	4. Flowers

This is a gift fic, to my mother of course, to celebrate the wonder that is her. You absolutely rule mom!

**Special Moments in Time**

**Flowers**

"Oh, these ones look good" Kagome said to herself as she bent down on her knees to pluck a few white lilies. Kagome was in a large, beautiful, lush green meadow, dotted with every kind of flower imaginable. She couldn't believe her luck, what, with it being Mother's Day and all, she wanted to give her mother a special present. She thought what better gift than a bouquet of flowers hand picked from the Sengoku Jidai.

Ok, she could have been more creative, but running around collecting jewel shards and slaying demons didn't leave her much time to come up with anything better, so she had to settle with flowers. Well, it's the thought that counts right…

"Hey Kagome!" a voice yelled as a fuzzy small form bounded up to the miko and came to a stop a few centimeters in front of her.

"Hey Shippou" Kagome said, smiling fondly at the young kit.

"Watcha doin?" he asked in a tone portraying childish curiosity. His eyes scanned the large number of different colored flowers in Kagome's hand.

"I'm plucking flowers Shippou; it's a present for my mother. Today is Mother's day" Kagome said, ruffling the kitsune's flaming red hair.

"What's Mother's Day?" Shippou asked looking puzzled.

"Well" Kagome said getting up, deciding that she had enough flowers to make a bouquet that was nice and big, "It's a holiday that is celebrated in my time, it is the day that we thank our mother for bringing us into this world and for always being there for us" she explained as she started heading back towards Kaede's hut, her arms laden with pretty flowers, all the colors of the rainbow.

"We give them gifts and make them feel special, we show our gratitude for all the things they've done for us, without even expecting a single thing in return"

Shippou processed this new information as he followed the miko inside the hut. Once there, Kagome started arranging the flowers in a pretty design, color coordinating them so that no two colors clashed. When she was satisfied with her work, she slipped a rubber band binding the stems of the flowers together; she then stared at her masterpiece and exhaled contentedly.

"Bye, Shippou, tell the others I'll be back really soon" Kagome said getting up off the wood tiled floor of the hut and walking outside into the sunshine, "I just need to give mom my gift and I'll be right back" and with that she walked over to the well and jumped in. her creation clutched tightly in her hands as the blue light engulfed her and transported her to a different time period.

The cogs in Shippou's head began to turn and a slow grin spread across his face. Kagome has always been there for him, she's done so many things for him without expecting anything in return, she may not have given birth to him…but she still was like his mother.

"I'll pick some flowers for Kagome, so when she gets back, I can surprise her" with that delightful thought running through his mind, he sauntered off to the meadow he was at earlier with Kagome.

* * *

"Where is that bitch?" Inuyasha asked himself for the millionth time. He'd been looking for her since that afternoon but he couldn't even catch a whiff of her. The thought that she might have gone back home crossed his mind but he shrugged it off, '_Kagome would tell me if she was going back'_

He was passing a huge flower filled field when his eyes caught sight of a furry red blob among the flowers. In one giant leap, he landed gracefully in front of a sweaty and dirt covered Shippou.

"What are you doing runt?" Inuyasha asked, one eyebrow raised.

"I'm picking flowers for Kagome" Shippou answered digging the dirt near the base of a pretty orange flower, trying to get it out, making a huge mess in the process.

"And where is Kagome?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the little kitsune who wouldn't even spare him a glance, '_What is he up to?'_ he thought suspiciously.

"She went back home" Shippou stated casually.

"What!" Inuyasha hollered, making the birds nestled in the forest's foliage fly away, "Why?"

"She wanted to give her mother a gift, she said today is Mother's Day"

"Mother's Day?" Inuyasha asked, he was as puzzled as Shippou was.

"Yeah, it's a holiday they celebrate in Kagome's time, it's the day they give their mothers presents in return for always being there for then and taking care of them" Shippou repeated Kagome's earlier explanation.

Inuyasha's face suddenly cleared in understanding, Shippou wanted to give Kagome a Mother's Day gift, the runt thought of her as his mother. Inuyasha stared down at the kit, making a huge mess and getting dirtier by the minute. He gave a resigned sigh.

"Keh, you're never going to pick anything decent if you do it like that" he stated as he bent down and started gathering up the flowers neatly.

* * *

It was nearly sun down and a green and white clad figure slowly climbed out of the ancient well and set foot on the crisp grass that made up the peaceful clearing.

"I hope Inuyasha's not too mad, that took a little longer than expected" She walked at a quick pace towards Kaede's hut when she saw a dark mass hurtling towards her at great speed. Her muscles tensed and she took a defensive step back.

She, however relaxed once she saw that it was only Shippou, but, "Wow!" she exclaimed as she saw the humongous bouquet of flowers he was holding, or more like struggling with. It was three times his size and appeared to have almost half the flowers in the meadow she was previously at.

"What's that for Shippou?" she asked genuine curiosity lacing her voice.

"It's for you Kagome" Shippou stated proudly handing the huge collection of flowers to Kagome who took it, albeit with a little difficulty owing to its size.

"Happy Mother's Day Kagome!" the young kit chimed happily, his face split into a wide grin.

Kagome stared at the huge arrangement of flowers and she felt tears sting her eyes, but she made no effort to stop them as she looked down at the ecstatic young demon.

"Why are you crying?" Shippou asked, his smile vanishing as quickly as it came, "Don't you like it?"

Kagome wiped away her tears, bent down, placed the bouquet at her side and gathered Shippou into a tight hug, "No Shippou, these are happy tears, I love it, Thank you" she pulled away and she felt her heart melt at the huge, adoring smile he flashed her, "Thank you" she said again, "For making this my most special Mother's Day"

She picked up her gift and with Shippou perched on her shoulder she started heading in the direction of Kaede's hut again.

"Oh and Shippou, how did you manage to pick so many flowers?" Kagome asked, looking down at the amazing collection clutched in her arms.

"Inuyasha helped me" after a small pause he added, "Well he picked most of them"

Kagome laughed softly, she saw a glint of red in the branch of a tree a little ahead of them. She then saw a flash of silver and she smiled, "Thank You Inuyasha!" she called out.

The hanyou perched in the tree smiled slightly; his fangs that were peeking out of his mouth glinted in the glow of the setting sun.

The flowers she held in her arms may eventually wither and die, but the memory of this moment and the happiness she was feeling could never be erased…

* * *

AN: - There was some very slight Inuyasha/Kagome fluff up there, I hope you noticed it. Anyway, here's thanking everyone who has reviewed so far. **Members have been sent private messages.**

Please read and review.

Till next time…


	5. High Up

DISCLAIMER: - I think I forgot to include this, I don't own Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi does.

**Special Moments in Time**

**High Up**

"That was a very nice dinner Kagome" Sango complimented her friend on her cooking. Kagome had brought a home cooked meal back from her time where she had visited earlier that day.

"Thank you Sango" Kagome said giving the demon slayer a smile.

"Yes Kagome, I must say your cooking skills are steadily improving" the monk added his compliments as well.

"Keh" Inuyasha grunted his favorite made up word and jumped into the big tree above them to settle down for the night.

The others followed suit. Kirara transformed into her bigger form and curled up in the corner of the clearing where they had made camp, Sango snuggled up close to her, resting her head on the fire cat youkai's soft cream colored fur.

Miroku went over to one of the many trees that surrounded the clearing, sat down and leaned against its rough strong bark. He held his staff close and shut his eyes.

Kagome sighed, "I guess the others must be really tired". So she set about clearing up the place by herself, stuffing the lunch boxes into her monstrosity of a yellow backpack, before rolling out her sleeping bag.

Shippou, who was waiting patiently for her to do just that, jumped into the comfy sleeping bag and was asleep in an instant. Kagome smiled down at the fox kit, brushing his bangs away from his eyes. She then got in herself, careful not to wake the young kitsune. Once she was comfortably tucked in, she spared a glance at the tree Inuyasha was perched on.

That got her thinking, '_I wonder why Inuyasha almost always sleeps in trees, won't he be more comfortable on the ground'. _She had wondered about that many times, and she had asked him a few times about it too, his answer was always, "_So that I can protect all of you if a demon decides to attack"_, well that and he might have mentioned something about weak humans dieing in their sleep.

She remembered reading something about this in a dog magazine, that the leader of the pack always chose the highest spot to sleep. Something about showing their dominance. Maybe that was why Inuyasha mostly slept in trees, because they were like a pack, and technically Inuyasha was like their leader, though she would never tell him she thought that, he already had a big enough ego as it was.

'_Yeah, maybe that was why, I mean it makes sense' _Kagome thought letting out a huge yawn.

"Go to sleep wench" she heard the hanyou's gruff voice and giggled slightly.

"What?" he snapped, thinking that maybe she was giggling at him.

"Nothing Inuyasha, just thinking" she snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag and yawned again.

"About what?" he asked, "Not that I care" he added quickly, but Kagome didn't miss the curiosity in his tone.

"About why you like sleeping in trees so much"

"Feh, idiot, you're losing sleep thinking about something so stupid" he stated incredulously.

"I'm not an idiot" she said angrily, though the effect was stifled due to another yawn.

"Go to sleep" he said sternly, and smiled slightly when he saw her close her eyes. He relaxed on his branch when he heard her breathing even out.

He looked at her sleeping form and sighed. She looked so innocent and serene, but she also looked weak and vulnerable. Sleeping strait above her made it easier for him to protect her, he could also sense every single move she made in her sleep and that gave him a sense of being in control of her safety.

A small smile played on her lips, enhancing her beauty in his eyes. He could look at her pretty, sleeping face forever, a warm feeling pooled in the pit of his stomach as her smile widened.

_This_ was the real reason he liked sleeping in trees…

* * *

AN: - This was kind of pointless I know. But I was reading through this canine magazine and I came across this article. I couldn't help but think about Inuyasha and how he always sleeps in trees. Maybe the reason that he really does sleep in trees, apart from wanting to protect his friends, is that he thinks of himself as the leader of the pack and the leader of any dog pack really does find a higher spot then the rest of them to sleep. Let's just say it got me thinking and this was what I came up with. I hope you liked it.

I would also like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far.

**Members have been sent private messages.**

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	6. A Memory Away

**Special Moments in Time**

**A Memory Away**

The varied group of travelers had set up camp near a crystal blue stream. It was the middle of the day; the sun beat down on them mercilessly. Even Inuyasha had to take off his outer fire rat haori while he perched on one of the many branches of a tree for shade.

Miroku wiped sweat off his brow as he sat down under the same tree the hanyou was currently perched on. Sango was washing her face in the nearby stream to cool down, if only a little.

Shippou was napping near a weary Kagome, who was gulping down her third bottle of water. Good thing she had brought back some bottled water from her time.

"It's very hot today" Sango said as she dried her face off with the towel Kagome handed her.

"No shit" Inuyasha grunted moodily, he really hated the heat.

"Inuyasha, be nice" Kagome scolded lightly taking the towel Sango gave back to her and putting it back in her backpack.

"Keh" he grunted again. Kagome looked over at him in mild surprise.

"What?" he snapped.

"That's it, you're not going to say anything else?" she asked him.

"No" he said shortly, not getting her point.

"I believe the heat has made Inuyasha lose his will to argue" Miroku stated sagely.

"Don't be stupid monk" Inuyasha glared down at Miroku. Kagome giggled softly, however the moment was disturbed by Shippou yelling out in his sleep.

All four of them and Kirara too turned to look at the young kitsune. He was tossing and turning and beads of sweat glistened on his face. His nose was scrunched up, and his eyes shut tight. A tear ran down the side of his face making Kagome tense up.

"Kagome" Shippou mumbled in his sleep, but all of them heard. Kagome was at his side in an instant.

"Shippou, wake up" she shook him gently. His eyes flew open and he looked around in fright before his eyes fell on Kagome. She was looking down at him with a very concerned expression.

He immediately bolted into her lap and snuggled closer. Kagome's arms wound around him, she patted his back with the intention of calming him down.

Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha watched the kit holding on to Kagome for dear life; they decided not to say anything. Kagome was the only one who could pacify him right now.

"What's wrong Shippou? Did you have a bad dream?" she asked him gently.

She felt him nod his head, but he refused to say anything. "What was it about?" she coaxed.

"M-My parents…t-they were k-killed" he stuttered out making Kagome hold him closer. Shippou hadn't been having nightmares about his parents being murdered for a long time; they thought he had gotten over it. Maybe he would never really get over it completely, after all, he was just a kid when he saw them get killed right in front of his eyes.

"It's ok Shippou, we're all right here, we won't let anything happen" Kagome said softly, stroking his hair in a soothing gesture.

"But you l-left" Shippou said.

"What?" It was Inuyasha who was asking the questions now, "What do you mean she left, she's right here"

"No, in my d-dream, Kagome left" the young kitsune said looking up at the miko.

"Don't be silly Shippou, I'm not going anywhere" Kagome said, smiling warmly down at the kit.

"Will you stay with us forever?" he asked with childish innocence, this pulled at her heart strings. She felt a feeling of helplessness wash over her.

Inuyasha noticed the change in Kagome's scent, and he didn't like it, he was just about to scold the kit and change the topic but his thoughts froze when he heard Kagome answer Shippou.

"I can't promise that Shippou"

'_What does she mean she can't promise that?'_ Inuyasha thought, didn't she already promise him that she would stay by his side forever. Well, maybe she didn't say forever but she did say she would stay for as long as he wanted her to and he wanted her to stay forever damn it. Surely she wouldn't break that promise. Would she?

Kagome's face suddenly brightened up, "Hey, how about I sing you a song to help you get back to sleep"

"But what if I get bad dreams again?" he asked her nervously.

"When I was young, I had a lot of nightmares too after my father died. My mother used to sing me songs to help me get back to sleep and I always ended up in a nice dreamless sleep after that" Kagome said gently.

"Ok" said the kitsune before cuddling closer to Kagome.

Kagome took a deep breath and started to sing. Her voice was soft and innocent. Inuyasha's ears perked up when he heard the first line.

"_I hear the voice of my destiny call_

_And I know I must go find my way"_

What did she mean by that? Wasn't her destiny here, in the feudal period…with him?

"_The hardest part will be leaving you all_

_And I'll miss you much more than words can say"_

Inuyasha's claws dug into the bark of the branch. There was no way she was leaving them…leaving him, he wouldn't let her. What the hell did she mean by singing this song? This wasn't going to cheer Shippou up. He looked over at her when she started singing the next stanza.

"_I'll be only a memory away_

_If you need me, you can call me anytime of day_

_I'll be there"_

Another tear rolled down Shippou's cheek, Kagome wiped it away.

"_It's ok…_

_Only a memory away"_

Wait, was she really leaving? Is that why she was singing this song? WHY the hell was she leaving!?

"_My intuition says something is wrong_

_My friends said they'd come say good bye"_

Kagome looked over at Sango and Miroku, they gave her sad smiles. Yes, they knew that she might have to leave them after the Shikon-o-tama was put back together.

Inuyasha glared at the monk and demon slayer. They said they'd say good bye to her did they. Not if he had anything to say about it.

He jumped down from the tree and started glaring at Kagome.

She was NOT leaving.

Shippou's hold on Kagome tightened. He thought that if he loosened his grip, she might just disappear. Kagome smiled down at him.

"_I can't go until I know what's going on_

_I fear there is danger somewhere nearby"_

So, does she mean that she won't leave till they defeat Naraku. What about after that?

She looked straight at him, as if she had read his thoughts; she started singing the next line.

"_I'll be only a memory away_

_If you need me, you can call me anytime of day"_

She smiled at him making him feel funny inside.

"_I'll be there_

_It's ok…_

_Only a memory away"_

'_But I don't want a memory, I want the real thing'_ Inuyasha felt like someone had ripped his heart out, and she hadn't even left yet. Just the thought alone was enough to make his blood run cold.

"_We've been together through good times and bad_

_You've always been there for me"_

Was she singing that to him?

Her gaze swept over the monk and the taijiya. They had fallen asleep. Kagome smiled softly.

"_I'll always treasure the best friends I have_

_Eternally"_

She turned to look at him again before she sang the final stanza.

"_Only a memory away_

_If you need me, you can call me anytime of day_

_I'll be there"_

She laid Shippou who was also asleep now, gently back on the soft grass covered ground near her backpack.

"_It's ok…_

_I'm only a memory away…"_

She turned her head to come face to face with a very angry hanyou. She gasped softly in surprise at how close he was.

"You are NOT leaving" he ground out through clenched teeth.

"Of course I'm not leaving now" Kagome assured him.

"You're not leaving EVER" he clarified.

"Inuyasha, like I said, I can't promise that" she said gently, sitting down and making herself comfortable. She patted the spot next to her, indicating that he should sit there. He slowly complied.

"Why not?" he asked, it almost sounded like a whine.

"Because, what happens after the jewel is complete, I'll have no reason to return back here"

"Isn't seeing us all again reason enough?" he argued.

"Inuyasha, all of you belong here" she sighed, "I don't"

"Of course you belong here, don't be stupid wench" he admonished, "This is your home"

She smiled slightly, "I guess this is sort of like my home" she agreed.

"Then what's the problem?"

"What if the only reason I'm here is to find the jewel shards and put them back together, what if after that I'm not allowed to stay here any longer, what if the jewel sends me back?"

Inuyasha's ears drooped lower and lower after every 'what if' question she asked.

"I won't let it" he said quickly, "I'd shatter it again"

Kagome laughed, though it wasn't like her usual carefree laugh, this laugh seemed almost forced, "You can't do that Inuyasha"

"You're not leaving us" he stated more firmly, there was no way he would let some stupid jewel take her away from him.

"Let's worry about that when it happens ok" she said grinning at him, this time it was genuine, "It's depressing talking about that now"

"Keh" he said, "You're not leaving" there was a tone of finality in his voice.

Kagome was the only happy thing that had ever happened to him. She didn't bring him happiness, she _was_ his happiness. She wasn't leaving him. No, he would make sure of that…

* * *

AN: - I know there are probably quite a few stories where Kagome sings to Shippou but I though this song really fit the situation. I mean, doesn't it sound like something she would say in case she ever were to leave. Anyway, Thank you so much to all those who have reviewed so far.

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DISCLAIMER: - I'm disclaiming all rights to both Inuyasha and the song. They both belong to their respective creators.

Please read and review

Till next time...


	7. Modern Medicine

**Special Moments in Time**

**Modern Medicine**

"Iron reaver soul stealer!" yelled the annoyed half demon as his attack flew towards the demon they were battling. The attack hit it full force but it was still standing.

"Stupid overgrown bug" Inuyasha muttered under his breath as he faced the huge slug demon. It just HAD to get a shard of the sacred jewel didn't it. It was bad enough that it was roaring so loudly hurting his sensitive ears, but did it have to shoot poisonous acid at anything and everything?

In the few minutes that he had battled it, he had found out that it had absolutely terrible aim, or maybe it was blind. Why else would it attack a tree that wasn't even anywhere near them.

"ROAR!!"

"Aw shut up!" Inuyasha was getting seriously ticked off. He glanced back and was slightly relieved to find that Kagome was still safe and unharmed. But if this visually impaired demon kept attacking like that, she was bound to get hurt. That's why he had to take it out quick.

"Inuyasha, the shard is in its throat!" Kagome called out to him. His ears flicked back showing her that he had heard.

The demon sure wasn't deaf because the moment Kagome shouted; it turned its ugly head to look in her direction.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Inuyasha shouted at it, but his face went pale. The slug was shooting its acid straight at her. NOW it decides to aim?

"Kagome!" he yelled. He ran towards her with lightning speed and shoved her out of the way at the last minute. The acid dissolved the grass where she was standing just moments before.

"Are you ok?" he asked her once they skidded to a stop some distance away. He started sniffing for any injuries and was alarmed to find she was bleeding.

"Yeah, I just scraped my knee" she said clutching her knee closer to her chest.

Inuyasha growled when he looked at it. The wound was pretty deep and there was dirt clinging to it. It looked painful. At this, his growl increased in volume.

"Stay here" he told her in a stern voice. He stood up in front of her, shielding her from view. He drew his sword Tetsusaiga and it immediately transformed into the majestic fang. He pointed it at the slug. That was the last straw.

"Wind Scar!" he shouted as he swung the sword through the place where the two demonic winds met. An incredible amount of energy was hurled at the unsuspecting demon and it was ripped to shreds in an instant.

Inuyasha crouched down next to the miko. He then proceeded to take a closer look at her wound.

Kagome smiled softly at how concerned he was over her injury, "It's nothing serious Inuyasha, I just need to bandage it up"

"It could be infected" he stated as he looked at how much dirt was sticking to the blood that was slowly starting to clot. He scooped her up bridal style and started running in the direction of Kaede's village.

"We'll be back soon!" he called out to their traveling companions. Sango and Miroku sighed and started to set up camp to wait for their friends.

* * *

It was a good thing they weren't that far from Kaede's village. Inuyasha was able to get there fairly quick, but the surprising thing was he didn't stop when they reached Kaede's hut. Instead he kept running.

"Where are we going?" Kagome asked him as she clutched the front of his fire rat robes to steady herself, he was going very fast.

"You have better medicine in your time right?" he asked back. Kagome widened her eyes in surprise. Was he taking her back to the future?

"Yeah" she answered after a pause, "But can't I just bandage it up right here?"

"I think it would be better if it was treated in your time, where the medicines are more advanced" he said making Kagome smile up at him, he blushed, "I don't want you limping around and slowing us down"

Kagome sighed, he just had to go and ruin the moment.

They reached the well and Inuyasha jumped in, holding her tightly, in a quick motion, they were engulfed by the blue light transporting them five hundred years in the future.

He jumped out of the well on the other side and went to her front door in a few fast strides and let Kagome ring the doorbell. Kagome's mother answered the door and was mildly surprised at seeing her daughter cradled in the arms of the hanyou.

"Hi honey, welcome back Inuyasha" her mother greeted them cheerfully as she invited them inside. Souta was off at school and her grandfather was taking a nap since it was the middle of the day, so the house was fairly quiet.

Mrs. Higurashi saw the blood on Kagome's knee and immediately went over to inspect it once Inuyasha placed her down gently on one of the dining room chairs. "What happened Kagome?"

"She got hurt when we were fighting a demon" Inuyasha stated in a low voice. His ears were clamped down against his head.

"Oh, it looks like it might be infected" Kagome's mother said after she had looked at it closely.

"I'm sorry" Inuyasha said in a voice that was very close to a whine. Both Kagome and her mother turned to look at him. Kagome gave him a reassuring smile, "It's ok Inuyasha, it wasn't your fault"

"That's right, I'm sure you did all you could to protect her" Kagome's mother said, trying to get him out of the guilt trip he was currently on, "and besides, it should be all better after it's disinfected and all bandaged up"

"But I think we should show it to a doctor first" Mrs. Higurashi said as she went to the coat closet to get out her coat and slipped into it. She took out the cap Inuyasha always wore when he went out in this time and handed it to him.

Doctor? Didn't Kagome say a doctor was a type of healer? Maybe he would be able to heal her wound faster. He took the cap and shoved it over his ears.

* * *

This was taking way too long. What the hell did that doctor think he was doing making Kagome wait for so long when she was in pain. He would have barged right in and dragged the stupid human out and made him heal Kagome's wound if she would only let him. Instead, she made him sit down next to her on one of the chairs in a room called the 'Waiting Room'.

Why did they have such a room in the first place? So that the people who were injured could just bleed to death while the doctor took his own sweet time to come and heal them?

Kagome held on to his arm and that prevented him from getting up, though that was probably her intention. She would wince every now and then because her knee was still stinging from that spray that incompetent 'Nurse' person sprayed on the wound. What was the point of that? He brought her here to rid her of the pain, not add to it. Her mother had said that it would help clean the wound and disinfect it. Inuyasha didn't try to stop the human from spraying it on her, but he had shown her, through a series of very loud growls and snarls, just how unhappy he was. She must have gotten the hint since she didn't come anywhere near them after that. Looks like she _did_ have a brain.

There were other people in the room as well. Most of them were sick, Inuyasha scrunched up his nose, the smell of sickness made him nauseas. They were all either coughing or sneezing, spreading their human germs. If they got Kagome sick, there would be hell to pay. He'd kill the doctor first; after all, it was because of him they were waiting in this stupid place.

Kagome's grip on his arm tightened a fraction before loosening again. He knew she was in pain, and it made him angry. He growled in frustration, if that doctor person didn't heal Kagome's wound right now, he wouldn't be held responsible for his actions.

"Kagome Higurashi" one of the Nurses came into the waiting room to call them in to see the doctor.

"That's us" Kagome's mother said as she stood up.

Kagome started to get up but a strong hand gently pulled her up by the arm and helped her walk to the room where the doctor was.

"Thank you Inuyasha" she said with a soft smile.

"Keh"

"Aah, what seems to be the problem?" the man sitting behind a huge desk asked them as they entered. He was wearing a white coat over his regular clothes. He smiled at them and gestured for them to sit down.

Was the man blind too? Didn't he see Kagome limping inside? Maybe it was a mistake bringing her here, at least Kaede would be able to recognize when a person had been injured.

"My daughter has hurt her knee" Kagome's mother said showing the doctor the injury, "Is it anything serious?"

The doctor leaned over and took a closer look. Inuyasha started growling again, the man was too close to Kagome.

The doctor then gripped her leg with his hand and pulled it up.

BIG mistake.

Inuyasha shoved him away and snarled out, "You do NOT touch her"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said, "he was just trying to see if anything was wrong"

"If he can't tell without touching you then maybe he's not a good healer, we should have gone to Kaede" he muttered angrily.

Kaede would have healed it by now with her herbs, SHE didn't have a 'Waiting Room' and plus, she was a woman. Why did this doctor have to be a man?

"It's alright, it happens all the time" the doctor said, but even Kagome could tell it was a lie. She gave him an embarrassed smile.

"It looks like it could be infected, I think you need a tetanus shot" the doctor said as he rummaged around in his drawer and took out a plastic cover. There was something inside but Inuyasha couldn't tell what it was.

What the hell was a tetanus shot? Wait, wasn't a shot something like an attack? Was this guy planning to ATTACK Kagome?

"I'll be right back" said the doctor before going into a back room.

"Where's he going?" Inuyasha asked looking suspiciously in the direction the doctor had left.

"To get the medicine" Kagome's mother answered him, just then the doctor returned.

He placed a bottle with some sort of liquid inside it on his table. He then tore open the plastic cover and took out some sort of thin cylindrical thing.

Inuyasha was watching his every move like a hawk. His eyes narrowed when he took out a thin pointy needle type of thing and fixed it on the cylinder.

Now what was he going to do with that?

He pushed the needle through a small opening in the bottle and sucked the liquid into the cylinder.

"Ok, hold out your arm" he said.

Before Kagome could comply, Inuyasha stood in front of her blocking her from the doctor's line of sight.

"And what the hell are you going to do with that?" he asked him in a threatening tone.

"Why inject it into her veins of course" he answered matter-of-factly. Inuyasha growled at him.

He really shouldn't have brought her here. This place wasn't safe. There were crazy men who injected long pieces of metal that pierce the skin and fill the blood stream with strange chemicals. They were Dangerous lunatics and must be stopped.

He cracked his knuckles with the intention of punching the jerk in front of him out cold but Kagome gently pushed him out of the way.

"It's alright Inuyasha, this medicine will prevent me from getting sick because of the wound" She explained to him, but he still wasn't convinced.

There was NO way he was letting some guy poke Kagome with a sharp needle. Even if it was to stop her from getting sick.

Kagome saw his unrelenting expression and sighed. Her hanyou could be so stubborn. She gave her mom a pleading look.

"Come Inuyasha" her mother stood up and pulled the hanyou away from Kagome and the doctor, "Lets wait over here"

Inuyasha tried to slip out of her grasp but her grip was firm. He couldn't make her let go of him without having to hurt her. He watched on in horror as the doctor pierced Kagome's fragile skin with the sharp piece of metal. She cringed slightly in pain. He closed his eyes not wanting to see her hurting and being unable to do anything about it.

When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he saw the evil doctor rub the spot where he had poked her with the needle with a piece of cotton. He noticed Kagome's mother had let go of his hand.

He stalked over to them and helped Kagome get up while snarling at the doctor. He would have to come back and kill this man later.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked her as they made their way out of the hospital towards Mrs. Higurashi's car.

"What?" she asked him while slipping into the back seat, Inuyasha slipped in next to her.

"Why did you let him hurt you? Why didn't you let me protect you?" he asked her, his voice cracking slightly.

"Inuyasha, like I said, that medicine was to help me from getting sick"

"He could have given you some of those small pill things" Inuyasha snorted in argument.

"He could have, but injecting the medicine directly into the veins will make it work faster" Kagome explained, it was kind of sweet that he cared so much, albeit in his own way.

"That's stupid! Who ever came up with that crap must have been retarded!"

They stayed silent for some time after that, "We're not coming here again" he stated firmly, "From now on, it's only herbs for you"

Kagome giggled at that earning a glare from the hanyou sitting beside her, "I told you I could have bandaged it up back in the feudal era" she said, "It was you who brought me here"

"Well, I'm not making that mistake again" he said in a gruff voice.

He looked out the tinted window of the car, a scowl planted on his face. Kagome better not get sick because of that medicine, because if she did, he would destroy that evil 'hospital' building and all the crazy people inside it.

* * *

AN: - Just a little insight into how I think Inuyasha would react to modern medicine. I didn't mean to offend any doctors or hospital staff. I hope you liked it. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. Oh and one more thing, Miroku picked up the shard after the slug demon was blown to pieces, just in case anyone was wondering.

**Members have been sent private messages.**

Please read and review

Till next time…


	8. Say What!

**Special Moments in Time**

**Say What?!**

"I'm bored" Shippou whined for the hundredth time that day.

Inuyasha growled in frustration, "Shut up runt or I'll cut you into little pieces and feed you to the bird demons"

"Kagome! Inuyasha's being mean to me again!"

The miko sighed; she just wanted to finish her homework. Was that too much for a school girl to ask? She would have finished it back in her time if a certain 'too impatient for his own good' hanyou hadn't come and dragged her back to the feudal era. It wasn't like there were any jewel shard rumors either. Now, they were just sitting around in a clearing, where they had made camp earlier that afternoon, doing nothing. Hence the kitsune who was saying he was bored every few seconds.

Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose to keep an oncoming migraine at bay.

"Stop whining brat, your giving Kagome a headache!" said Inuyasha, as blunt as always.

Kagome put down her notebook and pen and clapped her hands together, successfully getting everyone's attention, well since she wasn't going to get any work done now, she might as well take a little break, "Ok, let's play a game"

"What kind of game Kagome?" Miroku asked as he and Sango scooted closer to the miko.

"This is a game my friends and I made up when we were little"

"What's it called Kagome?" Shippou asked her.

"Um…it doesn't really have a name" she answered earning a snort from Inuyasha, "but it's a lot of fun to play"

"Keh, we don't have time to be playing silly games" the temperamental hanyou argued.

"Then what else do you suggest we do?" Kagome asked him in a sarcastic tone, "Go after a non existent jewel shard?"

"Feh" he grunted.

Kagome sighed, "Inuyasha, relaxing once in a while is good for you, maybe it'll stop you from being so grumpy all the time" she smirked at him.

"I am not grumpy _all _the time" he snapped but he sat down next to her anyway causing her to smile.

"So how do you play this game?" Sango asked her best friend.

"Ok, each of us gets a phrase that we need to add after every sentence or word we say" she explained to them.

"What kind of phrase?" the young kitsune asked.

"Oh, it can be anything. We need to give each other the phrases, if one of us forgets to add or doesn't add their phrase, then their out. The last person still in the game is the winner"

"Can the phrase be anything?" Miroku asked the young miko, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Uh…yeah" she said uncertainly.

This was going to be fun. "Ok Inuyasha" the monk said casually making the hanyou narrow his eyes dangerously at him, "Your phrase is 'Kagome has a nice butt'"

Both the hanyou and miko turned an interesting shade of red.

Poor Miroku, he never saw that clawed fist coming. A few moments later he was cradling a swollen cheek.

"Ain't no way I'm saying that" Inuyasha growled at the injured monk.

"You can't change your phrase Inuyasha" Shippou piped up sagely.

"Unfortunately he's right Inuyasha, if you don't say the phrase you were given then you forfeit the game" Kagome said, a blush still dusting her cheeks.

"Inuyasha lost! Inuyasha lost!" Shippou shouted in an annoying sing song voice, but stopped when Inuyasha bopped him on the head.

"I didn't lose yet you little brat" he snarled at the kit who was still clutching his head, "_I'm _gonna give you your phrase" he said with a sudden evil smirk.

Shippou gulped.

"Your phrase is 'I got mush for brains'"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded him.

He looked at her innocently, "What? It's just a phrase, if he doesn't say it, he forfeits right?"

Kagome sighed; she gave the kit an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Shippou"

Shippou stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha before turning back and grinning at Kagome, "Can I give you your phrase Kagome?"

"Of course you can" she gave him a kind smile.

"Ok, your phrase is…" he rubbed his chin with one of his small chubby hands, he looked deep in thought, making Kagome giggle at his antics. "I got it!" he announced after a few seconds, "Your phrase is 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'"

Inuyasha growled, "You can't give her a phrase like that runt" he glared at Shippou.

"Yes he can, I said the phrase can be anything didn't I?" Kagome said firmly.

"But that's not a phrase…that's…that's…it's not a phrase dammit". That kit was tricky.

"I'm giving you your phrase Sango" Kagome said, interrupting Inuyasha's futile arguments.

Sango gave her a pleading look, as if willing her not to make her say something too embarrassing.

"You have to say 'Buddhist monks are cute'" Kagome gave her friend a sly look. Sango cringed slightly, looking over at Miroku; said monk gave her a suggestive smile.

"Fine!" she huffed in annoyance, "Here's your phrase Miroku, 'I am a dirty perverted man'"

"Sango, your words wound my innocent soul" Miroku pouted.

"Innocent …? Please save it for someone who's actually stupid enough to believe you"

"Okay guys" Kagome successfully stopped their battle of words before it could grow into a full out war, which Sango would probably end with her Hiraikoutsu, "Let's start, from this moment on we have to add our phrases after everything we say, 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'"

"I love you too Kagome" he beamed at her, that is until Inuyasha let out a triumphant laugh.

"You didn't say your phrase Shippou, you lose, 'Kagome has a nice butt'" he mumbled out the last part.

Kagome sighed, "He's right Shippou, 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'"

"It's ok Kagome, I'm happy just to hear you say your phrase" Shippou's words wiped the triumphant smirk off the hanyou's face. The stupid, no good, tricky fox. He had planned this from the very beginning. Inuyasha growled at the smug look the kitsune sent his way, damn, he should have known this was how the fox's twisted mind worked.

"Well, it seems only the four of us are still in the game, 'I am a dirty perverted man'" Miroku said his phrase with an unusual amount of dignity, as if it were a noble title, as he slowly inched his 'cursed' hand closer to Sango's derrière.

"Darn right you are you stupid lecher, 'Buddhist monks are cute'" the demon slayer slapped his hand away resignedly; after all, she _did _have to do this everyday.

"Why Sango, I'm flattered that you think so, 'I am a dirty perverted man'" Miroku referred to her phrase while flashing her a charming smile which would have made any other girl swoon, however Sango was not any other girl.

She glared at him, "I never said you were one of the 'cute' Buddhist monks, 'Buddhist monks are cute'"

Miroku pouted at that. Shippou muttered something along the lines of, "That Miroku will never learn"

"Oh no, crap!" Inuyasha cursed, then added his phrase after a few seconds, "'Kagome has a nice butt'"

"What is it Inuyasha? 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'" Kagome asked noticing her hanyou companion's sudden rigid posture.

A dangerous snarl ripped out from Inuyasha's mouth as he stood up, tentatively sniffing the air, his nose then scrunched up in disgust, "Mangy wolf, 'Kagome has a nice butt'"

A look of comprehension dawned on his friends' faces. They all engaged one solitary thought. Kouga. And sure enough, they saw the small tornado making its way through the forest surrounding them signaling the arrival of the wolf prince.

Before Inuyasha could step in front of Kagome to shield her from Kouga, said wolf youkai stopped in front of his 'supposed' woman and took her hands in his, "It's so nice to see you again Kagome, how's my woman been?" he enquired to her well being.

Kagome laughed nervously, "I'm fine Kouga, 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'" the game was still on so they still had to keep saying their phrases. Too bad Kouga didn't know about that.

He dropped her hands as if he had been stung, he gave her a look of hurt and betrayal. Before Kagome could explain things to him he started yelling, "What the hell Kagome! How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me" he glared at the little kitsune who was currently perched on Miroku's shoulder, "He's just a pup! Surely you can't love him"

Miroku, Sango and Inuyasha stared at the wolf prince. Inuyasha started snickering, then it grew into full out laughter, "You're so dumb, 'Kagome has a nice butt'" even through the laughter he managed to choke out his phrase, too bad Kouga heard.

Kouga charged at him and grabbed a fistful of Inuyasha's red haori, "How dare you say something like that about my Kagome"

Inuyasha stopped laughing and glared at Kouga, "She is not your woman" he ground out before adding, "'Kagome has a nice butt'"

"I think it is best if you explained things to him Kagome, 'I am a dirty perverted man'" Miroku suggested calmly before adding his phrase.

Kouga stared at him, "You actually admit that?" he asked incredulously, his fist still holding the front of Inuyasha's haori.

"No Kouga, it's a game we're playing" Kagome intervened before anything else happened, "We have to add the phrase, that we give each other at the beginning of the game, after everything we say, 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'"

"Oh…that's why you keep saying that right?" he asked her, not noticing that the hanyou, who's haori he was still holding, was getting more pissed with each passing second.

"Yes, 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'"

"Let go of me you ass wipe! 'Kagome has a nice butt'" Inuyasha shouted ripping Kouga's hand off the front of his haori.

"So that's your phrase dog turd" Kouga narrowed his eyes at him, "Who gave you _that _phrase?"

"Keh! Not that it's any of your business…" right then he saw the monk shake his head vigorously behind the wolf demon's back and the hanyou's lips curved into a sneer, this would be the perfect revenge, "…but Miroku did, 'Kagome has a nice butt'"

The wolf prince turned menacing eyes at the monk in question. He stomped over to him, how dare this impudent human give the flea bag such a phrase, it was degrading! Miroku backed up slowly, holding his hands in front of him in a placating gesture, "Now Kouga, it was just a game"

"Hey, Miroku forgot to say his phrase" Shippou observed before the monk was punched squarely in the jaw by an irate wolf demon.

"You better not touch my woman, monk!" Kouga threatened.

"What! She is not YOUR woman you jerk! 'Kagome has a nice butt'" Inuyasha scowled at him, his nose suddenly started to twitch, his gaze shifted to his right, something was coming.

"What is it Inuyasha? 'I love Shippou more than anyone else'" Kagome asked him, noticing his tense stance.

Kouga's nose started to twitch as well and he groaned, "Don't tell me it followed me here"

Everyone turned to stare at him questioningly, that is until a huge demon bear came crashing through the foliage and stopped in front of them.

Inuyasha's eye started to twitch, "You led it right to us, didn't you, you bastard! 'Kagome has a nice butt'"

"I thought I lost it, don't blame this on me biscuit breath" Kouga scowled at him.

"Well whatever the case, let's finish it off now" Miroku suggested, not having to say his phrase anymore since he was already out.

The bear's big front paw, complete with razor sharp talons came swiping at them. Luckily, it was poorly aimed and everyone was able to dodge it.

"Hiraikoutsu!" Sango flung her huge boomerang at it and was able to hit its head, thus knocking it off balance.

"Sango forgot to say her phrase too" Shippou said from his perch on Kagome's shoulder, after all, that was the safest place during a fight, what with the assurance that the inu hanyou wouldn't let anything happen to the miko, "You and Inuyasha are the only ones still in the game Kagome"

Kagome only nodded, too busy keeping an eye out for swiping bear paws. Unfortunately, the bear had taken a swipe at Inuyasha, leaving a long gash on his arm that was leaking blood. The hanyou pulled out his sword and faced the stumbling demon. "Wind scar!" he yelled unleashing the attack and then mumbling, "Kagome has a nice butt"

The attack hit the bear demon, annihilating it into dust. He smirked at the demon's ashes before the Tetsusaiga transformed back into its katana size and he sheathed it. He was about to take a step forward, but he stumbled, Kagome was immediately at his side holding him up, "Are you alright Inuyasha?" she asked him. She was worried that the bleeding gash was more serious than it looked; maybe the bear's claws were poisonous.

"Kagome" Miroku said, "You didn't say your phrase either"

"Does that mean Inuyasha's the winner?" Sango asked her friend.

"Yeah it does" Kagome grinned at the hanyou, "You won Inuyasha" she said brightly.

"Keh" he snorted, "Like I care" he straightened up, he didn't need her help to walk, he wasn't handicapped or anything, it was just a small scratch.

Kagome was about to go get some bandages for Inuyasha's wound when she found her hands being held by the wolf prince, "I must be going now Kagome" he said, he was way too cocky for someone who didn't even help kill the demon that HE had led to their camp in the first place. Inuyasha huffed.

"So long!" he gave her his parting greeting and disappeared into the forest.

"Good riddance" Inuyasha muttered.

"Well, I'll go get the first aid kit" Kagome said walking over to her yellow backpack.

"I don't need first aid for this tiny scratch" he argued but Kagome blatantly ignored him. Inuyasha glared at the back of her head for a few seconds before his eyes shifted lower, a small smile found it's way to his lips.

'_Hmm…' _he thought, a slight blush dusting his cheeks, '_She does have a nice butt'_

* * *

AN: - First of all, I would like to thank **kagomesbutterflyfeeling **for giving me the idea for this one shot and also for proof reading this for me. And before anyone accuses me, I don't think the last line is OOC because, Inuyasha may not be as bad as Miroku but he's still male, and he's still got testosterone in his veins.

I hope this was good. Thank you so much to all those who have reviewed so far.

If you have any requests for a one shot, then please leave them in a review or send me a private message and I'll definitely try my best to make it into a one shot.

**Members have been sent private messages.**

Please read and review.

Till next time...


	9. Drastic Measures

This was written in response to a request by **fluffyluver666**, I hope you like it.

**Special Moments in Time**

**Drastic Measures**

Kagome stared at the stone brick building towering in front of her and heaved a sigh, it was now or never. She swung her bag more securely over her shoulder and took a step forward. She looked up again and almost lost her nerve, no, she would not be scared; she would face whatever they had to throw at her. She had, after all battled tons of youkai and other dangerous creatures back in the feudal period; she had proven her courage countless times. Surely, she could face this too, with the same amount of courage…

She sighed again, the pep talk wasn't working. Sure, she had faced a lot of dangers in the Sengoku Jidai, but none of them had any power over her grades, tests however, manipulated total control in that particular field. Well, she would just have to do her best and hope and pray, with all the miko power inside her, that she wouldn't fail. She took another step forward before her ears were bombarded with loud cries. She looked to her left and saw her three friends, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi, making their way towards her, waving their hands in greeting.

"Hey Kagome" Yuka said flashing her friend a bright smile.

"Are you feeling well enough to take the math test today?" Eri asked her, a concerned expression on her face.

"How's your aneurysm?" Ayumi was the last one to speak, but her question managed to elicit what sounded suspiciously like a choking, gurgling sound from her addressee.

"A-Aneurysm?" Kagome asked shakily. Oh she was going to kill her grandfather this time! He had truly gone over board. Weren't aneurysms supposed to be almost fatal or something.

"Yeah Kagome, he said you had this huge bulge in one of the arteries in your brain that kept filling up with blood" Eri stated, she gave Kagome a worried look, she was looking awfully pale. Was the aneurysm causing this?

"Kagome are you ok?" Yuka asked, now looking worried as well.

"No no, I'm fine, I swear I don't have an aneurysm" Kagome waved her hand in the air as if dispersing the topic, but when her friends gave her suspicious looks she gulped, "Uh…it was a false alarm?" she ventured. Thankfully, her friends seemed to believe that and didn't push the subject.

Oh, her grandfather was in for the worst scolding of his life when she got home, she could promise that much.

* * *

Kagome placed her school shoes in her front locker at the entrance of the building resignedly. Saying her test had not gone well would have been an understatement. She could barely understand the question, let alone actually find out _how_ to solve the math problem. Maybe she had gotten two or three of the sums right… well she hoped she had.

"Higurashi" Kagome turned towards the source of the voice and put on a cheerful smile for its owner.

"Hi Hojo"

"How are you feeling Higurashi?" he asked her, in that same sweet caring tone he always had.

"I'm fine Hojo, thank you for asking" she shut her shoe locker and walked outside, Hojo walked beside her.

"Here Higurashi" he said, handing her, what looked like several strips of rectangular sponges, "They're for the headaches you get because of the aneurysm, you soak one in cold water and place it on your forehead, My mother said it would help bring down the pain" he explained at her quizzical glance.

"Thank you Hojo, although you really shouldn't have" Kagome forced a smile, well at least he wasn't giving her dried lizards, she shuddered slightly at the memory of that particular gift. Though wouldn't it be easier to just soak normal cloth into cold water and place it on your forehead instead…

"Um…Higurashi, I was wondering, if your feeling up to it..." Kagome internally groaned, knowing where this conversation was leading, It wasn't like she didn't like Hojo, it was just that, he was a bit too boring after being compared to some of the people she knew, a picture of her rude arrogant hanyou came to mind and she smiled slightly, and besides, if Inuyasha found out, he would throw a fit.

"Higurashi? Are you listening?" Hojo waved his hand in front of Kagome's face bringing her out of her musings, "Like I was saying, would you like to go to the movies tonight?"

Kagome snapped back into focus at that. Wait, did he say tonight? That wasn't like him, he usually fixed dates on a weekend and inevitably, she would not be able to make it due to other 'obligations'. Fixing the date tonight didn't leave her much time to actually get to those other 'obligations'. Hmm…maybe she wasn't giving him enough credit, he was learning.

"Um…I'm not sure" But that didn't mean she would go out with him, "I still have a lot of school work to catch up on."

"Nonsense Kagome!" a voice piped up from behind one of the bushes behind Hojo, and Yuka jumped up out of it.

"That's right, you can afford to spare one night Kagome" Eri popped up behind Yuka and smiled up at her friend.

"You guys, I think Kagome should decide whether she wants to go or not" Ayumi was always the reasonable one in their group, though it was surprising that she had been spying on them as well.

Honestly, why did _all _her friends have to be so nosy, and did they have some sort of affinity towards bushes or something? If she had to deal with Miroku and Sango and sometimes even Shippou back in the feudal era, she also had to deal with the three girls currently standing in front of her and Hojo, claiming to be her _friends. _

'_Well you could have fooled me!' _Her brain screamed in outrage, her life was totally not fair.

"Of course she'll go out with you Hojo" Yuka addressed the uniform clad boy who was still apparently waiting for an answer from Kagome; maybe she had given him _too much _credit…

Hojo beamed at Kagome, obviously, he thought Yuka answering was just as good as Kagome answering, after all, it didn't matter who said the 'yes' right?

"I'll pick you up at seven" he told her as he skipped off, humming a cheerful tone, convinced that Kagome really did want to go out with him, but she kept standing him up because she was too shy. That had to be the reason; his mind didn't even entertain the possibility that he might have a rival for Kagome's affections.

Kagome stared after him, poor confused soul, she sighed. Honestly, he was way too trusting and over confident, and that, just might be his undoing. But right now she couldn't think about his problems, she had problems of her own. They were staring her down right now actually.

"You _are_ going out with him tonight, right Kagome?" Yuka asked her, in her most sugary voice making Kagome cringe. She felt like a frail lamb being cornered by three merciless butchers holding up their knives and consoling her saying that the afterlife was a much happier place. She gulped.

* * *

"How about this one Yuka?" Ayumi asked her friend.

"No, it's too plain" she replied, shaking her head in the negative.

"This one then?" Eri asked.

"No, too flashy" Yuka said.

Kagome sighed, how the hell had she gotten into this mess in the first place? '_Oh yeah' _she thought darkly, '_My 'friends' cornered me into it' _. Currently, the three girls were digging through Kagome's closet trying to find a 'suitable' outfit for her to wear on her date with Hojo. Apparently, they thought that the moment she was out of their sight, she would stand Hojo up again. It was kind of freaky how they could read her mind like that. So they followed her home to make sure she went through with it.

"Perfect!" Yuka's exclamation snapped Kagome out of her dark thoughts, "Kagome, you're going to where this tonight"

It was annoying how they just assumed she would listen to everything they said, and it was even more annoying that they were right, considering they could be scary if they put their evil minds to it…damn.

Kagome looked over out of curiosity, to see which dress Yuka was holding up. It was the dress her aunt had given her for Christmas last year. She hadn't worn it after their family Christmas party. It was made from dark blood red silken material and the sleeves came down till below her elbows. It had a turtle neck and its length came till a little below her knees.

Were they really expecting her to wear something so fancy just for a date with Hojo? She was going more along the lines of a casual skirt and top. "Uh…you guys, maybe I should choose my own clothes"

Yuka, Eri and Ayumi stared at her for a good few minutes, them promptly burst out laughing, "Good one Kagome, but seriously, go change into this" Yuka said waving the dress in front of Kagome's face.

Kagome sighed; she honestly didn't know why she was still friends with them. She grabbed the dress out of Yuka's hand and stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door. A few minutes later she came out wearing the pretty dress.

"You look absolutely amazing!" Eri screeched, jumping up excitedly.

"Hojo won't be able to take his eyes off you" Ayumi squealed.

Was that supposed to make her happy or something? Well news flash, it wasn't working.

"Now Kagome, we have to get going home now" Yuka said slinging her backpack over her shoulder, the other two mimicked her actions, "but remember, if I find out you stood up Hojo again, I won't lend you anymore of my notes"

Kagome stuck her tongue out at the backs of their heads as they exited her room. She sighed, might as well get this over with; she went over to her vanity mirror to comb her hair.

* * *

The sun slowly started to set behind the canopy of trees surrounding the old bone eaters well. Inuyasha sighed, he didn't want to admit it but it felt kind of empty without Kagome.

She had said that morning that she would only be back tomorrow afternoon. She told him that she had a lot of school work to catch up on and she was lagging behind all of her classmates. Inuyasha flat out refused to let her go, that is until she used her puppy dog eyes on him. But he was still determined to be strong and stick to his decision, too bad her bottom lip trembled just then making his resolution crumple. Now, there was nothing he could do except wait by the well till she got back. Too bad, his impatience was the size of the sun.

He started pacing back and forth in front of the well thinking over his options. He could go to her time, but if she saw him she might just 'sit' him into the underworld. Or, he might be able to convince her to come back a day early…that was unlikely, but he jumped in the well anyway, he had nothing better to do, so why not.

* * *

He jumped out of the old well in the well house five hundred years in the future. He sprinted across the shrine grounds, and then on reaching the house, he jumped up, landing on the branch closest to the window of Kagome's room.

He peered into her room through the window, to find out whether it was safe to go in, but what he saw made his mouth drop open. There was Kagome standing in front of her mirror combing her hair. She was wearing a beautiful red dress that complimented all her curves perfectly. Why was she all dressed up?

Inuyasha jumped into her room, the movement startling Kagome a little. She turned around and gasped, '_what was Inuyasha doing here?'_

"What are you doing bitch?" he asked gruffly.

"Uh…nothing" she placed her comb back down on her vanity table, "What are you doing here, I thought I told you I'll be back tomorrow" Kagome said changing the topic, but that only served to anger him.

"You said you were going to study" he said taking a step toward her, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Um…yeah"

"And where are you going dressed like that?" he bit out, he did not like this, she was hiding something from him.

What was with the third degree? She could go out if she wanted to, and she could dress whichever way she wanted. Who did Inuyasha think he was interrogating her like this? "I'm going to the movies with Hojo" she said firmly.

"What the hell!" Inuyasha seethed, was this the reason she kept coming back here? Because she wanted to spend time with that Hobo jerk. Did she do this every time she came back?

"Inuyasha, its not what you think, we're just going as friends, '_at least I am' _she finished silently.

"You are NOT going"

"What! Inuyasha that's not fair" Kagome tried to reason.

"Well too bad, you're not going and that's final!"

"You can't order me around Inuyasha!" She yelled back.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed dangerously, he clenched his teeth and a low growl bubbled up his throat, "Yes I can Kagome" he bit out, "You are not going anywhere with that Homo dork"

Kagome clenched her fists at her sides, how could he tell her not to go out with Hojo, she never told him he couldn't go see Kikyo. If he could run off to the dead priestess every time he so much as got a whiff of her, couldn't she at least go out with the boy once in a while?

"No you can't Inuyasha" she said in a strained voice, darn it, she wouldn't cry in front of him, this matter wasn't worth shedding tears over, "I can go out with Hojo whenever I want to, you have no right to tell me who I can or cannot see"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, did she just say that he had no right over her? Well, she was wrong. He had claimed her; sure he hadn't actually told her how he felt but frankly, he wasn't very sure of that himself but his scent claim _was _all over her. She was his; of that much he was sure.

"This is my life" Kagome continued, oblivious to the obvious hurt she was causing him, "I haven't been given the chance to live a normal life ever since that day I fell in the well. I have to lie to my friends, telling them that I'm sick, when in fact; I'm in the feudal era helping _you _find the jewel shards. I've sacrificed so many things just so that the hunt for Naraku, or more like your hunt for Kikyo's revenge, can continue without any hindrance"

Is that how she really feels? Inuyasha's ears drooped, his eyes downcast. Doesn't she understand how he feels about this? More than anything else, he didn't want to involve Kagome in this fight with Naraku, but for the sake of putting the shikon-o-tama back together, he had no choice.

"I'm so far behind in school that they probably won't even consider graduating me" She ranted on, she really didn't want to shout at him like this, but he pushed her too far. All those times she waited for him to return after he had gone off in search of Kikyo, all those times they fought over her returning to her time to take tests, and everything else that he did to cause her pain without meaning to, were finally catching up and now she had to let it all out.

Inuyasha looked up at her, she was about to cry, he could smell her unshed tears and his gut wrenched painfully. He had to do something to make her see, make her understand how he felt. He was getting desperate now, but what could he do to make her feel better?

"Even after all this, I still want to be by your side, and you repay me by not even letting me come visit my family once in a—" Kagome's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Was Inuyasha…yes he was!

Inuyasha had flown across the room and clamped his mouth over hers in an urgent kiss, cutting her off in mid-rant. He pulled away just as fast and backed up, waiting for her reaction.

Kagome felt winded and dazed at the same time, Inuyasha just kissed her. How many days, months had she waited for him to kiss her? The kiss they shared in Kaguya's castle was a matter of life and death; she wanted him to kiss her properly, a kiss with no strings attached. Now that he finally had, she was confused as to how to interpret it. Did he do it just to shut her up, or could it have been his way of telling her he was sorry? The hanyou had always been a one of few words.

Inuyasha searched her face, her eyes for any signs of rejection. But the only thing he saw was confusion and…happiness…? She was happy? That was good right? Well, to be on the safe side, maybe he should go back to the feudal era and wait for her to come back. Come to think of it, he should have done that in the first place but he couldn't deny it…being impatient _did_ have its rewards…

He turned around and jumped out her window, leaving Kagome alone in her room.

She plopped down on her bed and rested her head on her fluffy pink pillow. She brought her hand up to her lips and felt them quiver. They were still tingly from being assaulted by Inuyasha's rough kiss.

A small smile broke out on her slightly puffy lips as she turned sideways to look at her alarm clock. It was 6:50 now.

'_Hmm…maybe I __should__ cancel that date with Hojo…'_

* * *

AN: - So how was that? I'm sure a lot of you wanted an Inuyasha and Kagome kiss so there you go. Now, In case any of you were wondering, Aneurysm is a real disease, actually, I don't know whether it can be called a disease, but its when an artery in your brain gets blocked and starts filling up with blood and its almost always fatal if not treated immediately.

As always, requests are welcome, so if you have any ideas floating around in your head then tell me in a review or PM and i'll see what I can do.

**Members have been sent private messages.**

Please read and review

Till next time...


	10. House Call

**Special Moments In Time**

**House Call**

"Ayumi Higawa"

"Here"

"Kagome Higurashi"

"…"

The teacher looked up from his attendance sheet when he received no response, "Is she absent again?"

"Hai sir, she still hasn't recovered from her recurring rheumatism" Yuka answered.

Mr. Shori arched an eyebrow but said nothing. Shori sensei was a young handsome man in his late twenties; he taught art and was also Kagome's class' homeroom teacher.

'_Its really not good for Kagome to be taking so many days off from school', _he thought. Kagome was one of his most favorite students, she was very talented with the brush and had a mind boggling imagination. He would never forget the assignment she handed in for her term project. They had to create a mythical creature that might have existed in olden times. She'd drawn a two headed demon horse like animal and had even named it Ah-Uhn. He was quite impressed.

'_Maybe I should pay her a little visit; after all, it is the holiday season…' _

* * *

"Come on Inuyasha be reasonable" Kagome argued. Honestly, this was getting ridiculous; no person should have to beg to go see their family, it was Christmas for Christ's sake!

"But you just came back" the stubborn hanyou stood his ground, there was no way in hell that she was leaving hi—uh, going home.

Kagome's eyebrow twitched, "I've been here for a whole month!"

"My point exactly!"

"What? Do you want me to stay here forever?!"

"That would save us a lot of trouble" he mumbled.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, huffed, turned around and stalked away in the direction of the well.

"Hey where the hell do you think you're going wench?!" Inuyasha barged after her, trudging through the snow covered ground. "Don't you dare turn your back on me!"

The miko walked straight up to the bone eaters well, threw one leg over the rim and hopped in. The blue light surrounded her, numbing out the profanities Inuyasha was screaming at her until she couldn't hear him anymore. She let out a sigh; she was getting too old for this…

* * *

"This must be the place" Shori sensei squinted as he looked up at the Higurashi shrine entrance, and then slowly lowered his gaze toward the many shrine steps. He sighed as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "I wonder how they do this everyday?" he asked no one in particular before pulling his jacket tighter over his body and trudging on up those steps.

* * *

"Stupid stupid stupid Inuyasha" Kagome opened the well house door muttering to herself, "can't even let me spend time with my family during the holiday season"

She stomped on the fluffy snow with her foot once, leaving a gaping footprint in it, to relieve some frustration before heading toward her house's front door.

"Kagome?"

She froze on hearing her name being called and by a familiar voice nonetheless. She turned slowly in the direction of the source.

* * *

'_Finally!' _the young teacher wheezed a sigh of relief on reaching the top, he really needed to exercise some more.

He stopped at the top step for a few minutes to catch his breath, when he saw, to his surprise, the reason for his little visit coming out of some wooden shack with a, huge was an understatement, yellow bag slung over her shoulder.

He quirked an eyebrow in confusion as he saw the teenager walking briskly across the shrine grounds muttering under her breath with a scowl on her face. Then she stopped for a second and stomped her foot down hard on the snow, spraying the ice, before resuming her long strides.

'_Now what was that about?' _

He then straightened up and called out, well might as well find out the reason, "Kagome?"

He took one step forward before he saw her whole body go rigid. Then she slowly started to turn toward him. He walked up to her and came to a stop in front of her.

"Hi Shori sensei" she greeted him with a sort of nervous smile.

"Um…sorry, I didn't mean to scare you"

"No, it's just surprising that you're here…at my house…now" she started fiddling with the strap of her bag, "Why _are _you here?"

"I just thought that I'd pay you a little visit. I mean you've been sick from school for almost a month now and I was getting worried." he said, giving her a once over. "Also it's Christmas, you know, the time of giving and spreading cheer."

"Oh…yeah" this just couldn't be happening; lucky she picked now to force her way home. Who knew what would have happened if he had shown up when she was in feudal Japan? Her family would have had to cover for her. That thought sent a shiver down her spine.

"Speaking of which" he continued, "You look quite healthy now; you're even able to carry that heavy bag. Is your rheumatism alright?"

"What? Uh…oh yeah, my rheumatism is much better, grandpa gave me some herbal medicine for it"

Rheumatism, that was ironic. Considering she spent half her time in feudal Japan running around, fighting demons and more or less protecting the world from mortal danger. Yeah, that was as much physical exercise any teenager could hope to indulge in.

"That's good to hear. Does that mean you'll be coming to school soon?" he asked.

"Well…" she hesitated. That _was _one ofthe reasons she came back, but she still hadn't gotten the 'okay' from Inuyasha and that usually meant he'd be concocting some way to stop her from going.

She deliberated by casting her eyes across the shrine grounds, trying to come up with a valid answer. '_Hey…wait a minute'. _Was that a flash of red in the well house just then? Oh kami, don't tell me Inuyasha's here now. What the hell did she do to deserve this?

* * *

"What the hell does that bitch think she's doing?" Inuyasha growled. He takes his eyes off her for one second and she goes off to talk to some strange man. Honestly, does she have no sense of self preservation?

He scoffed at that, she was way too gullible and trusting for her own good. That was why he was nervous about letting her go off on her own anywhere, and that included her house too.

The jerk she was talking to, was now asking her something. What was with the hesitant look she was giving him? Just what did he ask her? He felt another growl bubbling up his throat.

She was looking around the shrine grounds now and… '_Oh shit' _

He ducked behind the door. Even if he was extremely ticked off at her right now, her anger was quite formidable, especially since it triggered off those 'pain in the ass' sit commands.

Maybe he'd have to beat that guy up some other time.

* * *

"Uh…could you wait here for just a second? I'll be right back" Kagome said, not waiting for an answer before stalking toward the well house with her fists curled at her sides.

Shori sensei looked after her, a confused expression his face, "Um.. Ok"

* * *

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, "What are you doing here?" she closed the well house door behind her.

"I should be asking _you _that" Inuyasha hissed right back.

"This is _my _house!"

"I didn't say you could go home!"

They glowered at each other for a few seconds before Inuyasha broke the silence, "Who was that man anyway?

"Man?" Kagome asked distractedly, "Oh, that was Shori sensei. He's an art teacher at my school"

"What's he doing _here?_"

"He came here to see whether I was well enough to go back to school, because _somebody _wouldn't let me come back once in a while" she started glaring again.

"So this is my fault?" Inuyasha growled, "Fine, then I'll go fix it" he cracked his knuckles.

He pushed past her and slid open the well house door and headed outside.

"Wait Inuyasha, you can't let him see your ears!" the miko shrieked.

"Don't worry; he won't have enough time to notice before the wimp's unconscious"

"No Inuyasha!" Kagome trailed after him, "You can't beat up a teacher, you could get me suspended from school!"

"Good, I'll be killing two birds with one stone"

They stopped at the middle of the shrine grounds, "Where the hell is he?!" the hanyou snarled. A light snow fall descended from the heavens as the irate hanyou looked around.

"He's not here?" Kagome asked in panic, "That could only mean…oh no!" she made a mad dash toward her front door and ran into the family room only to stop dead in her tracks.

"What is it?" Inuyasha asked coming up behind her.

"Kagome!" Shori sensei waved her over, "Come join us, your grandfather was just telling us this interesting story about a half demon pinned to a sacred tree" he took a sip from the cup of tea he held in his hand, courtesy of her mother no doubt, "Now I see where you get your imagination from"

"He he" Kagome laughed nervously.

Shori sensei's gaze then landed on Inuyasha, "Who's your friend?"

Kagome froze up again, was Inuyasha wearing his cap? She didn't have the courage to look back. But he must have been, considering her teacher hadn't had a seizure yet.

"Kagome?" Shori sensei asked again, arching an eyebrow.

There was never a time when she actually thought it would be better if one of the fights with Naraku had actually done her in…until now.

"I'm Inuyasha…What's it to you?!" the hanyou came to, what he supposed was, her rescue.

Where was a natural disaster when you needed one?

Shori sensei didn't seem too taken aback by Inuyasha's rude reply; maybe working in a school full of rowdy teenagers made you immune to such things.

"I haven't seen you around here before…are you from out of town?" he asked, looking the dog demon up and down, the outfits kids wore today were seriously something else.

"Y-yeah, he's uh…visiting…for the holidays, isn't that right Inuyasha?" Kagome nudged him in stomach.

"Ow! What was that for bitch!"

Oh kami, she wanted to climb in a nice dark hole and never come out. Honestly, a demon tearing through his gut was no problem but one small measly nudge from her made him 'Ow' and curse? What was the world coming to?

That was when Kagome noticed her teacher was giving Inuyasha a reprimanding look. Oh, right, he'd called her a bitch…again.

"That's a nickname" well it was kind of true, in a twisted kind of way.

"I see" Shori sensei didn't look too convinced though

"Sooo" time for a topic change, "how're you doing?" aww crap! That sounded so weird, she sounded like Joey from the 'Friends' show. Does banging your head on a wall give you short term memory loss?

"What the hell!" Inuyasha growled from behind her and before she could comprehend what was going on, he had her pinned against the wall. "Why the hell do you care! You said you didn't like him like that"

Aarggg! It looked like Inuyasha was out to ruin her social life in her time. Hmm, maybe that was his plan, to make it so that she could never show her face in public again. That way she wouldn't have a reason to come back to the present quite so much. She sneaked a peak at Shori sensei, he was giving her this confused stare. Yup, her reputation had gone to a place of no return.

"Answer me wench!"

Wasn't he satisfied with all the damage he'd caused already? This was what happened when you kept an overly energetic half demon locked up in a hut all day on account of a blizzard. Wasn't Christmas supposed to be the season of happiness and perpetual hope? Well _she_ wasn't experiencing any of _that_…

"Kagome honey" ahh, her mother to the rescue, "Why don't you ask Inuyasha to spend Christmas with us?" Or maybe not.

"Krismaas? What's that?" the half demon gave the girl in front of him a puzzled look.

"Er…right" oh this was just great! Her mom should have known better than to invite him in front of Shori sensei, how was she gonna get out of this one?

"Inu-no-nee chan!" a shout followed by Inuyasha being pushed right off of her didn't make matters any better. "It's so great to see you again!"

"Oof! Get off me you brat!" the hanyou yelled, trying to get the 10 year old off him in the most careful way he could manage, once he figured out his actions were futile, he shot Kagome a pleading look.

The miko stared back at him, it was a vacant blank stare that, to be quite frank, gave him the heebie-jeebies. Her grandpa was jabbering on in the background about the shikonotama, too senile to realize no one was paying attention to him.

Was it possible to put yourself up for adoption? Kagome was already making a list of the necessities she'd be taking with her.

A light pat on the shoulder snapped her out of her convoluted thoughts, "Well Kagome, I think I should get going now"

_What?_

What?

WHAT!

Seriously? That was it? No awkward questions? Had her teacher always been this dense or was it the meeting with her family that had snapped his poor mind?

Her mother was escorting him to the front door and a light shutting sound confirmed his departure. A slight poke was issued to her arm followed by another.

"Hey…Kagome" Inuyasha had finally managed to free himself from Souta, "Wench…you okay?" he looked at her cautiously, was she possessed or something? Maybe it was her teacher…oh man! He knew he should have killed him when he had the chance.

The miko finally let out a low chuckle, followed by a giggle then drowned in full out laughing. She clutched at her sides that were cramping up from laughing so hard.

"Uh…is she gonna be alright?" the hanyou asked Mrs. Higurashi hesitantly.

"Of course dear" she gave him a cheerful smile and went about her business.

* * *

"That was sure interesting" Shori sensei said to no one in particular as he made his way down the snow covered sidewalk. Everyone around him were running around hauling brightly colored packages and bags, Christmas was just a few days away after all.

He never knew visiting students could be so amusing, "I should do that more often" he chuckled to himself.

Pretty snowflakes continued to fall as a holler of "SIT!" echoed throughout the bustling city…

* * *

AN: - Well, I know, not like your traditional christmas fic, no tree, no decorations, but what the heck. At least it was funny right?...right? Good. And imagining Kagome saying "How you doin" is just plain hilarious. Aaah, Joey cracks me up. If you guys don't know why she sat him in the end then I suggest you read the story again, and pay attention this time!

Oh and praise for the idea behind this fic goes to **kagomesbutterflyfeeling**. This is my christmas present to you girl, hope you liked it.

**Reviewers have been sent private messages.**

Please read and review.

Till next time...


	11. Misunderstanding

**Special Moments In Time  
**

**Misunderstanding**

Kagome placed the phone receiver back on its cradle, a lopsided grin on her face. She couldn't believe he was coming to visit. It had been so long since Kagome had seen him, the last time being when he moved away when they were only ten. Now he was finally coming back, it was just for a day but Kagome made up her mind to make it the best day ever…for both of them.

She skipped happily into the kitchen, to tell her mother the good news. Souta and gramps will be thrilled as well.

She couldn't believe _he _was coming back.

* * *

Kagome looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a black pleated skirt that came till below her knees and a short sleeved, baby pink top. Her hair was combed back to a shining perfection and a sparkling pink barrette was clipped through a few strands of her hair near her left ear. She smiled. It was the fourteenth of March, the day Kiseki was visiting.

She couldn't help the happy grin the found it's way onto her face; it had been way too long. Six years to be exact.

"Oi wench"

Kagome yelped, jumping slightly as she whirled around to come face to face with none other than her favorite hanyou. She narrowed her eyes at him, what was he doing here?

"What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha ignored her question in favor of looking her up and down. She looked amazing and he blushed slightly at the thought, but then narrowed his own eyes at her, "Where are you going dressed like that?"

"What?" she asked, immediately forgetting that she was supposed to be annoyed at him, "Does it not look good?" she twirled herself around slowly to find out what the problem was.

Inuyasha blushed harder, "N-no" he stuttered, "It looks alright"

Kagome cocked her head to the side slightly and the half demon just about melted into the floor right there, "Then what's wrong?"

"I meant, _why _are you dressed like that?"

"Oh" Kagome smiled sheepishly at him, "My family is going out today, for lunch"

"I thought you came back here to catch up on some school work?!" Inuyasha growled, he hated it when she lied to him.

"I did!" the miko replied indignantly, "That doesn't mean I can't go out with my family once in a while, I hardly get to see them as it is!"

"Keh" Inuyasha huffed, folding his arms across his chest and looking away.

Kagome's eyes softened on seeing him like that; she really couldn't stay mad at him for more than a few minutes no matter how hard she tried. The teenager sighed, "Inuyasha"

The only indication that he'd heard was his ears twitching on the top of his head and she giggled slightly. He could be such a baby sometimes.

"Would you like to come to lunch with us?"

His eyes widened as he turned his face to look at her. She was inviting him to come eat with her family? Did that mean she thought of him as part of her family as well? That particular thought sent a warm shiver through his spine as he fought the goofy smile that wanted to adorn his face, but couldn't stop his mouth from twitching upward at the corners.

"Keh" he snorted, "Whatever wench"

* * *

_Buzzz_

Inuyasha's ears twitched under the cap he was wearing. Kagome had forced it on him so that they wouldn't forget when they were leaving.

_Buzz…Buzzzz_

The hanyou growled.

_Buzz_

What the hell was that horrible noise?!

He was currently sprawled out on the couch watching T.V with Souta, something called _Kyo Kara Maoh, _Souta had said that it was made with moving pictures or something. He really wasn't a big fan of the couples in the show. At least it was funny.

"Kagome, could you get the door please honey" he heard her mother call out and he trained his ears in the direction of the entrance.

"Sure mama, it's probably Seki" she called back; he heard the thumps of her foot steps as she walked toward the front door.

_Who was Seki?_

His ears twitched when he heard the door slide open and a muffled yelp followed. The hanyou scrunched up his eyebrows at the strange noise.

"Seki stop! You're crushing me!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, what the hell?!!

He was off the couch in an instant and slid to a stop behind Kagome, growling the whole time, "Get off her" he snarled dangerously low. There was Kagome, trying to push a guy off her but, the half demon raised an eyebrow in confusion, was she giggling?

The guy let go of her when he heard Inuyasha and straightened up to stare at him, cocking his head to the side, "Who are you?"

Ok that was it, Inuyasha growled again. Who the fuck did this guy think he was coming here and attacking Kagome! And he actually had the nerve to ask _him _who he was!

"Funny, I was going to ask _you _the same thing" the hanyou bared his fangs at him.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, abruptly breaking the growing tension in the air, "Seki, this is Inuyasha, my best friend"

The half demon's ears drooped a little at that.

"And, Inuyasha, this is Kiseki…"

"Her best man" the guy finished for her, draping an arm around her shoulder.

Inuyasha growled again, pulling Kagome away from Kiseki and shoving her behind him. _Nobody _touched Kagome, and definitely not so familiarly, well…except for him, but that was different.

This wimp was nothing but a stupid human, with his stupid black eyes and stupid short black hair.

"Oh" Kiseki said in much the same way that Kagome had, pulling something out from behind him. This caused Inuyasha to growl again, was it a sword?

"These are for you" he said handing Kagome a bouquet of white roses with a white bow around it, "for White Day"

"Wow" Kagome squealed, moving out from behind Inuyasha and taking the bouquet and smelling the flowers as was protocol, "They're so beautiful"

"Only the best for my Kags" He said flashing her a charming smile.

The hanyou growled…again and glared at the wimpy being in front of him. Who the hell did this guy think he was giving _his _Kagome flowers?!

"Uh…" Kiseki stared at him then leaned down to whisper in Kagome's ear, "Why does he keep doing that? Does he have a cold or something?"

Inuyasha snorted. As if a stupid cold could affect him. And did he think he couldn't hear him if he whispered? This human had a lot to learn and he'd be very happy to teach him. He cracked his knuckles.

Kagome laughed nervously, placing a hand over Inuyasha's to calm him down.

"No, he's fine. Let's get going shall we?" She asked, quickly changing the subject.

"But I just got here" Kiseki said, "Can't I come in?"

"She doesn't want you to come in so just beat it asshole!" Inuyasha snarled. He didn't like that this guy was making Kagome so nervous.

"Excuse me?" The boy asked, glaring at the hanyou.

"You heard me" Inuyasha grunted, "Or is the wimp deaf too?"

"Oh, bring it on jerk" Kiseki said, punching his palm with a fist, "I could take you right here, right now!"

"Stop it both of you!" Kagome was beyond irritated. Kiseki had come for a visit after so long and she sure as hell didn't want him fighting with Inuyasha, "Now you two will get along or we're going to the restaurant without you!"

Both the boys 'hmphed' as they crossed their arms and turned away from each other. The miko sighed.

This was going to be a long day…

* * *

Kagome sighed, for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day, as she apologized yet again for Inuyasha's snarling and growling. This time it was to a couple who were out on a date, apparently that was his present to her for White Day.

"I'm sorry; he didn't mean to interrupt…ah…" Kagome blushed, Well, she should have expected this really, the emotionally constipated hanyou couldn't even accept the fact that there was co-education in her time.

Kiseki started snickering…again…at Kagome's lame apology and her embarrassed blush. She was still so innocent.

"Keh" Inuyasha snapped, "They shouldn't have been kissing in public anyway, what are they? Whores?

Mrs. Higurashi coughed into her soup and Kagome's ears went red, "Inuyasha!" she shrieked, "Stop it" she admonished in a quieter voice when most of the restaurant turned to look at her.

She then proceeded to spoon the rest of her soup into her mouth, concentrating really hard on the action and ignoring the two guys at the table who were having a glaring match yet again, for god knows what this time…

Suddenly, she just wanted this day to end as soon as possible.

The couple sitting at the table next to theirs, whom Inuyasha had previously offended, got up and the guy went over to the DJ to request a song and asked his girlfriend to dance once it started playing.

Kagome turned back to her empty bowl and found a hand held out under her nose, "Would you like to dance Kagome?' Kiseki asked, flashing her one of his dazzling smiles.

The miko giggled, before complying and placing her hand in his outstretched one and he lead her over to the dance floor.

The half demon glared after them, how _dare _that wimp ask his Kagome to dance. He snapped his gaze to her mother who was currently engrossed in a conversation with her son about some new movie. She turned to look at him when she felt his eyes bore into her head.

"Are you just going to let her go?"

She looked from her daughter dancing with Kiseki to the glowering hanyou in front of her, "Um…yes?"

Inuyasha threw his hands up in exasperation, how could her mother let her dance with strange men? He was surprised Kagome made it fifteen years without him around to protect her. He balled his hands into fists, his claws digging into the flesh of his palm.

The hanyou got up off his chair abruptly and stalked over to his bitch, he was going to get some answers from her and they better be good.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, when she saw him stop in front of them, "What is it?"

He didn't say anything, but grabbed her hand and lead her to a secluded corner of the restaurant.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled dangerously low, making the raven haired girl scrunch up her eyebrows in confusion.

"Is _this _why you asked me to come to lunch with you, so I can see you dancing with another guy?"

"But—"

"Or do you find it amusing to see me make a complete fool of myself in front of your whole damn family?"

The half demon was all but yelling now, he didn't care if people gave him strange looks, he wanted to know what Kagome was thinking. He had to know why she was doing this to him.

"Inuyasha I…"

"Is this why you got all dressed up? For him?" His ears drooped under his hat and he looked so broken and lost that it made Kagome's heart wrench painfully, she touched a hand to his cheek.

He looked up at her, his eyes staring intensely into hers and she could see all the doubts and fears swimming around in them and she had to try very hard to keep herself from throwing her arms around him.

"Inuyasha, I'm sorry"

She didn't know why that made the fear in his eyes more pronounced, "I'm sorry I didn't make things clear in the beginning"

Suddenly, Inuyasha didn't want those answers anymore, was she going to tell him that she liked someone else? Or worse, that she was leaving him…

"Kiseki's my cousin brother"

Inuyasha blinked once, then again…what? Her…brother?

"Y-your brother?" he stuttered out.

"Yes, he's my brother, his mom and my mom are sisters. He moved away when we were young and this is the first time I'm seeing him after that, that's why I got so excited."

The hanyou would have sung in joy right there if it wouldn't totally ruin his image. He was her brother! Her brother! He settled for doing a little happy dance in his head.

Kagome giggled, "Don't tell me you were jealous of Kiseki Inuyasha"

"What! No way wench, I just don't like wasting precious shard hunting time"

"Yeah yeah" Kagome waved him off, still giggling.

"Hey! I'm serious bitch!"

"Oh, they're playing one of my favorite songs" she exclaimed, taking his hand, "Let's dance"

* * *

"Well, you were right Aunty Sora, he is the perfect match for our Kagome"

"He sure is Seki, I can't wait for those grandchildren" Mrs. Higurashi grinned at her nephew.

He grinned back before turning his attention to the dance floor, where his cousin was teaching Inuyasha how to dance.

_And I'm sure he'll make her very happy…_

_

* * *

_AN: - As you can see from this update, I am still very much alive and well, just extremely weighed down by school, this being my final year and all. This oneshot was supposed to have been put up in March, I'm sorry for the serious delay, but better late than never...right? Anyway, this was another great idea from my close friend **kagomesbutterflyfeeling **and I hope she as well as all you guys like what I've done with it.

**A Huge Thank You to all my reviewers and subscribers, You guys mean a lot to me. **

Please read and reveiw.

Till next time...


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